Homework Help:
Vector help

A jet airliner moving initially at 795 mph to the east where there is no wind moves into a region where the wind is blowing at 140 mph in a direction 56 degrees north of east. What is the new speed of the aircraft with respect to the ground? Answer in units of mph.

The first step would be to draw a vector diagram. Draw the normal cartesian coordinate system, assign the axes a direction (i.e. +y is north, -y is south, +x is east, -x is south). Since the plane relative to the air is traveling east at 795 mph draw a vector starting from the origin and going east (+x). Now draw the wind as a vector (starting from origin with an angle of 56 degrees from the +x axes). Now you have a vector diagram. That is the first step. Good Luck!
-HBar